


Whisper

by BelleBasBleue



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adorable, Cuddling & Snuggling, Found Family, One Shot, Sleepy Cuddles, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27915835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BelleBasBleue/pseuds/BelleBasBleue
Summary: Zuko finds himself in the middle of a cuddle pile. One-shot
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	Whisper

A few days before the Sozin comet invasion, the whole gang was antsy. Aang was extremely tired from all of the training between the four elements, but the three benders in the camp were unsure what to do with their time if they weren’t training Aang. Sokka and Suki were always to the side of the training grounds whispering amongst themselves trying to come up with a multitude of plans in case anything went wrong. While watching Aang and Zuko train far into the sunset one night, Katara decided that she had finally had enough.

“We can’t keep doing this, guys, at this rate none of us will be ready for the final battle because we’ll be all sore and tired! Remember the time when none of us got sleep, but were being chased by Azula? It didn’t go well.”

“I wasn’t-” Zuko chimed in, and Katara rolled her eyes grumpily. 

“I know you weren’t, and neither was Suki, but four of us were there, and it wasn’t pretty. None of us could control our elements, slash boomerang in Sokka’s case,” Katara added, earning an appreciative nod from Sokka. “The point is we need to be ready whenever, but when given time to prepare and rest, we need to take it.”

Zuko nodded in agreement and turned to Aang. “It’s not like my father is going to go easy on you just because he knows you haven’t been sleeping well.”

Aang sighed and stuck his bottom lip out. “I know…”

“We all have our own battles to fight,” Toph added in a serious tone, looking much older than her years for the briefest of moments. “I agree with Sweetness; we all need to be ready.” She paused then cracked a smile. “Last one to the kitchen is eating my rotten cabbages!” Toph cried, running towards Zuko’s family vacation home with Sokka, Aang, and Suki not far behind. Both Katara and Zuko held back, walking at their own, silent pace. Zuko stole a few glances at Katara and noticed how focused and frustrated she looked. Her gaze was focused on the ground in front of her, and her hands repeated the movements of her waterbending forms without calling the water towards her hands. Silently, Zuko placed his right hand on her shoulder to ease some of the weight she was carrying, but he said nothing to her curious look that she shot him. 

Dinner was a mix of the last bits of their provisions. Nothing fancy, but the meal packed enough protein that the team’s hunger was sated for the night. In a silent agreement, all of them huddled around the communal fire pit in the middle of the living room of the vacation home with their sleeping bags. Only Sokka’s and Toph’s bickering filled the air as Zuko lay down in his sleeping bag next to Katara and Sokka. Aang was on the other side of Katara, and Zuko gave him a sympathetic look as Aang caught his eye and rustled the blankets on top of him. Zuko gave him the slightest smile, to try and reassure him before they fell into a dreamless sleep.

It was in the middle of the night that Zuko was woken. Zuko opened his eyes and frowned at the moonlit world. Zuko rarely ever woke up in the middle of the night, and he wondered why he would even wake up if it weren’t for the sun. Zuko rolled over and tried to fall back asleep, but he heard a whispering noise buzz against his left ear. Zuko froze a little, listening to the sound with his slightly deaf, left ear to try and discern whether someone had snuck into the house while they were all asleep. No it wasn’t someone in the house that wasn’t already there. Zuko turned over and faced Katara, who was sleeping on his left side, and he saw with the aid of the moonlight, that Katara’s mouth was slightly moving in her sleep and she was whispering something. Zuko leaned closer to her mouth, just a little, with his good ear to figure out what she was saying. 

“I want an ice monkey,” was apparently what she was saying.

Zuko fought hard to not snort as her words finally registered in his mind. He rolled over shaking his head as he smiled to himself. In the few weeks he had been with the gang, their actions never ceased to amuse him. Zuko tucked his blankets closer under his chin and nuzzled into his pillow, attempting to fall back asleep now that he knew that Katara was safe. For some reason, ever since Katara and he had returned from their “little field trip” Zuko felt like they had a closer connection. Zuko felt closer to everyone in the gang. And as much as Katara was the mother of the team, Zuko almost felt like a dad, or maybe Aang was. Sokka was definitely the crazy uncle of the group. Beside the point, Zuko felt like he had to protect the group, even if it was from nightmares. They had come a long way from him being the cause of their worries and fears. A year ago, Zuko would have never guessed he would be peacefully sleeping right next to the Avatar and his group of faithful friends. Zuko couldn’t even believe he could count himself as one of the faithful friends. They had all come a long way.

Zuko felt something behind him shift and something warm pressed up against his back. Zuko craned his neck backwards to try and see what was touching him. Katara’s hand lay against his back gently with her head resting against the bridge of his shoulders, burrowing her forehead into the crevice between his collarbone and neck. Soft puffs of air brushed the ends of his air, giving Zuko’s goosebumps tingle up and down his back. Katara’s other hand curled its way around the top of his shoulder as she pressed closer to him, murmuring: “warm, fuzzy ducky”.

Zuko blushed as he heard her mumbled words of sleep and he tried to crawl away from her grabby hands, but he was stopped on the other side by a grumpy Toph who pushed her body back into his, pinning Zuko in the middle of the two girls. By his feet, someone’s foot kicked him. Zuko was pretty sure it wasn’t Katara as it wasn’t soft, but it wasn’t harsh and bruising like a kick from Toph. Zuko was pretty sure Aang had joined the party. Someone was playing with his hair, and Zuko raised his eyes to Agni wondering how he ever got himself into this small group of friends as Momo started grooming him. Sokka and Suki were somewhere to his left and right, on either side of Katara and Toph, making a warm and comfy pile of friends. Zuko only hoped that he wouldn’t lose this as the world changed.


End file.
